Gov’t Reopens SAJJ Restaurant

The Ministry of Information Cultural and Tourism (MICAT) has reopened SAJJ Restaurant and Bar after it complied sufficiently with the measures taken against the entity last week by paying US$3,000.00 fine into government’s account and wrote letter of apology and published said letter in two dailies.

“The Ministry of Information Culture Affairs and Tourism wishes to inform the general public that it has restored the tourism license of SAJJ House and Restaurant. This action comes following the entity’s compliance with the punitive measures the ministry instituted, after investigating allegations of discrimination,” the release said.

Last week, protesting women brought to the attention of the Ministry of Information, which is the regulatory body of tourism, that SAJJ House and Restaurant has over the years implemented a discriminatory policy which prohibits single black women from entering without a male companion, but was not applicable to non-black women.

The ministry’s investigation revealed that SAJJ did carry out such policy, which is discriminatory and against the law.

As a result, MICAT suspended SAJJ’s tourism license until a set of actions were met, including paying a fine US$3, 000.00 into government’s revenue, issuing a public apology to Liberian women and instituting a corporate social responsibility project not less than US$2, 500.00 to identify and support a local NGO that works with disadvantaged young women.

SAJJ House and Restaurant has substantially complied with the above measures and Ministry therefore sees it fit to restore their tourism license, thereby ordering it reopen.

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Joel Cholo Brooks is a Liberian journalist who previously worked for several international news outlets including the BBC African Service. He is the CEO of the Global News Network which publishes two local weeklies, The Star and The GNN-Liberia Newspapers. He is a member of the Press Union Of Liberia (PUL) since 1986, and several other international organizations of journalists, and is currently contributing to the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation as Liberia Correspondent.